She started to understand why Gabriel was the way he was. All those confidentiality agreements, how he kept his private life tight shut from the public, why he was so paranoid about people knowing details about his life. From a single picture of his ‘pregnant date’ on a magazine spread, someone had already plotted to kidnap the unborn child. It was dangerous to be that rich. No wonder he was so isolated from the world and lost his trust in people. It took almost a month for his wound to heal and then they were back in Bhorma. She wanted to be with her turtles, collecting eggs, caring for her hatchlings, and releasing batch after batch of her babies. Most of all, she was ready to visit her baby’s grave. She left flowers on her tomb and wondered how different things would’ve been if her baby was with her at the time of her kidnapping. Bhorma became her second home because that’s where her baby was. “Do you remember what you said to me before you fainted in the car?” She brought up
Bohemian … is the style she chose whenever she’s not at work. Flower bandana around her head, her favorite orange sunglasses, a leather sling bag, and leather straps and sandals wrapped around her lean long legs up to her knees. “How do I look?” she asked Perry, her housemate. He tilted his head to one side and rested his hands on his waist. Even without make-up, her face was naturally beautiful. “Like Margot Simmins … a free-spirited hippie who roams the city without a care in the world … looking for the next unassuming gentleman who’s about to get his next great lay and left to wonder what the fuck just happened to him,” he hugged her from behind. “I feel sorry for the poor bastard already,” he chuckled. “Oh please … guys love no commitment fucks, they’d do it every day if they can.” “Not all of them … especially those who drink their coffee quietly at the coffee houses you go to … for a nice person like you, what you’re doing is pretty cruel, you know?” She turned to face him
He worked in the hotel industry. He was too busy building a career, didn’t have any time to be married and have a family, or so he said. With his looks, he probably didn’t want to be tied down with just one woman. Typical, she assumed. But it was better for her that way. He said he was on leave, which he rarely gets, and spent it reading at his favorite coffee house, by himself. He claimed he wasn’t very social and didn’t have many friends. That part was believable, she was doing most of the talking for hours. Richard came off as reserved, a man of few words. When he did speak, his voice was deep and cool. He never goes into details whenever he answers her questions, then again, she didn’t ask too many either. Too much detail was not good for her plan. Judging from how relaxed his body language was, he must be at least a Manager at the hotel he worked for, or perhaps the General Manager. She wasn’t the only one who was doing the assessment, she could tell he was observing her too.
The Somerset Inn was a 15-minute walk from the pier. The day was grey, the night was starting to come alive by the lights. But The Somerset Inn was dim and looked rather sleazy from the outside. Richard folded his arms and stared at the flickering neon sign. “Why do I get the feeling that I won’t be getting your number or even your last name?” he asked calmly. “Simmins … Margot Simmins … that’s my last name.” He raised a brow, “And your phone number?” She smiled, “Just look it up … you’ll find me.” “Whatever happened to an old-fashioned chance encounter when a gentleman can take a woman home and pick her up again for another date?” “Oh … come on Richard, don’t tell me you’ve never done this before?” “You wouldn’t believe me if I tell you,” he exhaled deeply. “You’re saying … you’re a 44-year-old, attractive, single man … who never had a one-night stand?” “Is that what this is? A one-night stand? I thought we’re friends now?” She laughed, “Of course we are … that makes it a l
Richard had practically broken every rule she ever made for her sexcapades. He kissed her, they did it more than once, she fell asleep and ended up staying overnight. The man with the deep cold stare had turned her inside out, even though she didn’t want to admit it. She almost lost control of herself.When she woke up with the sunlight warm against her face, she tiptoed to put on her clothes. Richard was still fast asleep with less than half of his body covered under the thin white sheet, what a sight it was.She wrote a note and left $200 with it on the pillow next to him. She couldn’t get out of there fast enough. This guy was dangerous, he made her feel something she never felt before with any of her dates.His warm touches, his soft lips against her skin, his eyes, the way he smelled, and his kiss. She touched her lips as she experienced it again in her mind. She smiled and fidgeted in her seat in the backseat of a taxi on her way home. She reached into her sling bag to find the
ONE MONTH LATERJamie Knox was a freelancer. That much was true. She created Public Relations campaigns for small companies and non-profit organizations that didn’t have their own internal PR department, and whose values she believed in. She was also an advocate for animal rights and supported many causes to restore the environment.She made enough for a living by doing what she was passionate about. Her communication skills were beneficial to persuade major companies, the government, and the public to fund her campaigns, so she was often asked to deliver speeches or do presentations at fundraising events.She often worked with Perry who ran his own small event organizer company. They referred each other to the company that hired them because their field of work intertwined. One of their recent projects was the annual charity event for Save The Animals Foundation. The largest environmental foundation in Lancaster.Jamie was asked to be one of the speakers to introduce their activities
There were very few details about the mysterious tycoon that the public knew. For one, Gabriel inherited his parents' wealth when they died in a plane crash. He was 15 years old at the time, the only surviving passenger of the total 7 people on board. It wasn’t an exaggeration when they described it as a miracle.He was hospitalized for three months and then returned home under the guardianship of his grandmother. The only living family member he had at the time. Afterward, his family lawyers shut down any information anyone tried to get about the sole heir of the Love Dynasty.Gabriel was taken out of school and deprived of any social contact with the outside world. People could only speculate what the family lawyers and CEOs of his father’s companies were trying to get out of the poor boy’s tragedy. His name never resurfaced again until he turned 21 years old and eligible to claim his legal rights over his parents' fortune.No pictures had ever been taken of the young billionaire, i
“Are you okay?” Perry asked backstage.She shook her nerves away, “An audience with our beloved guest of honor, what could be better? Do you think he recognized me?” She was still in denial.Perry shrugged, “Why else would he request an audience with you at his table?”She shot him a look, “My program? Maybe he’s interested in that?”“Well … yeah … but you spent a whole day with him … and slept with him twice in one night … they say he has photographic memory … that’s how he managed to thrive with his father’s legacy.”Jamie slapped his stomach with the back of her hand, “You said he probably wouldn’t recognize me before my presentation?” She protested.“I had to say something … you looked like you were about to faint or something.”She didn’t feel much better than before, knowing she was going to be sitting across from him later that night. Now that she knew who he was, it made her even more nervous. Sometimes the things we hear about someone formed an image in our heads that determi